I Love You, Goodbye
by oneanimelover
Summary: Rukia bade her farewell with a short note, causing much grief to her friends at Karakura Town. Ichigo storms Soul Society to demand an explanation.
1. Chapter 1

Byakuya Kuchiki enjoyed the quiet; the solemnity of being alone.

As one of the Captains of the Gotei Thirteen, times like this one are sacred.

So when a rather imposing spiritual pressure made itself known to him, he let out a long, deep sigh.

He put his teacup down and closed his eyes, already hearing hurried, angry footsteps on the wooden flooring of his home.

The intruder was headed his way, seeking him out, he sensed with dread.

The entryway of his Study slid forcefully open.

"Where is she?"

"She is not here."

He is sure that he heard a vein pop in the boy's forehead.

"Dammit, Byakuya, I know that! Just tell me where she is!"

The Lord of the Manor regarded the demanding Shinigami carefully.

"Why do you seek my sister?"

"Because she's being stupid and I'm dragging her ass back to Karakura Town to apologize to my family and our friends for making them worry."

Tempting as it was to draw Senbonzakura, he didn't.

"She has her reason for returning here… do you know it?"

"No, why, do you?"

Byakuya did, but it was not for him to reveal. So he contemplated on what he was going to say. It must've been at least a few minutes before he spoke - and surprisingly, there was no irritated outburst to interrupt his thoughts.

"I shall tell you where to find her, but promise me one thing."

He was given a nod.

"However your talk goes, you are to respect her feelings. Or so help me, Ichigo Kurosaki, I shall personally strike you down and tear you limb from limb. My gratitude to you and the acclaim of the three realms will not matter and will be forgotten."

The threat was real, Ichigo realized, though unsure as to why it was being issued in the first place.

"Then you will have Renji to deal with next."

"I don't know what this is about, but if that's your condition, then I accept."

As was expected.

"Rukia told me that she will spend her time at Sokyou Hill."

"Thanks."

Ichigo flashed stepped away, leaving Byakuya alone once again.

He took a rolled, discarded parchment at his side and re-read its contents:

 _My son's about to crack - expect a visit from him soon._

 _He knows his feelings (it's very obvious, anyway, but he's an idiot, that boy) - he just needs a good shove and a hard smack on the head before he admits them and makes a move._

 _This may very well be what we've been waiting for._

 _Should all go as hoped, you will be hearing from the Shibas._

Byakuya stands, his hold on the piece of paper tightening.

He leaves the room to seek his lieutenant.

They will be ready, regardless of the outcome...

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Half-baked, yes, but here it is. The story could do away with this bit, but I adore both Byakuya and Isshin, and surely, they will play some role in Ichigo and Rukia's blossoming _romantic_ relationship. Renji as the best friend gets special mention.

Anyway, hope you stay tuned!


	2. Chapter 2

Rukia stared ahead of her, taking in the sight that was the Seireitei.

It was where she belonged and hers to defend as a proud lieutenant of the Gotei Thirteen.

Though it seemed rather strange that the sentiment dawned on her at the place of her foiled execution.

Grave misunderstandings and lapses aside, she had already forgiven, forgotten and moved on - enjoying her regained life as a Shinigami with her brother, her best friend, and her comrades.

Sure, a few wars in her and Soul Society's inhabitants' otherwise routine and mundane lives may have been something they all could have done without, but it was because of the chaos and turmoil that relationships and bonds grew stronger.

They all had their thoughts and experiences to reflect on: things that needed to be said and done were what it was about days, weeks, even months after the last, possibly most devastating and crippling conflict the afterlife has ever had.

She did not exempt herself from this... activity.

No one did.

Not the usually serious Captain of the Tenth.

Not the usually indifferent Captain of the Sixth.

Not even the usually aggressive Captain of the Eleventh.

So when it came to her own realizations, her resolve to fulfil them was ironclad.

One of her hands unwittingly clutched the cloth above her heart.

Her heart.

It ached at the memory of what she had done over a month ago.

She was so caught up in her musings that didn't have the time to struggle or scream when she was suddenly grabbed then carried upwards at blinding speed.

The unwanted ride ended as quickly as it began and Rukia found herself ungracefully dropped onto her feet on the top beam of the execution stand.

Readying herself for a fight, she hastily composed herself and turned to get a good look at her abductor.

"I-Ichigo?!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I didn't notice that this story has been left hanging for over a month now... sorry about that. Just a short something to let you know that I'm still working on this.

Ichigo and Rukia will have their happy _beginning_ soon, I promise.


	3. Chapter 3

"I-Ichigo?!"

He scowled at her.

"Why are you here?"

His frown deepened - if that was even possible.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, RUKIA?!"

She could only blink at him several times in response.

"YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE WITHOUT AN EXPLANATION!"

She opened her mouth to speak.

"AND THAT SORRY EXCUSE FOR A LETTER DOES NOT COUNT!"

She closed her mouth.

"YUZU AND ORIHIME WON'T STOP CRYING, DAD AND KON KEEP GETTING ON MY NERVES AND KARIN AND EVERYONE ELSE THINKS I DID SOME THING TO YOU!"

Rukia lowered her head.

"I was clear with why I had to go."

It was a fact, from her perspective, but there was a quiver in her voice.

His eye twitched, visibly annoyed.

"CLEAR?!"

He rummaged through his Shihakuso and brandished a crumpled piece of paper in front of her face.

 _Everyone,_

 _It is with great sadness that I bid you goodbye._

 _There is no reason to worry, for this is a personal decision; something I feel needs to be done._

 _You will no longer see me but know that I shall forever cherish our times together._

 _May you live out your lives as you have intended from now on._

 _Regards,_

 _Rukia._

"THERE IS NOTHING 'CLEAR' ABOUT THIS! IT'S AS CRYPTIC AS THAT DAMNED NOTE YOU WROTE WHEN YOU LEFT WITHOUT WARNING THAT NIGHT YEARS AGO!"

Oh, he was fuming.

His incessant shouting was testament of that.

Under "normal" circumstances, she would have already yelled back.

Or hit him.

But she remained quiet.

She let him rant on about how selfish it was to vanish on people who considered her as nakama...

... how indecent it was to leave without at least a proper, personal, goodbye...

... how heartless it was to not let them know the real, honest reason why.

He probably could have gone on for hours; letting his pent up frustration out. But he noticed her demeanor. How she stood with shoulders slumped forward, her head in a low bow. It was the same stance she had at the bridge of the Senzaikyu.

"Rukia, say something."

A sniff.

Wait. Was she crying?!

"O-oi, Rukia..."

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, ICHIGO?"

He could only blink at her several times in response.

"I SAID THIS IS MY DECISION!"

He opened his mouth to speak.

"YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ME!"

He closed his mouth.

"JUST... GO AWAY! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"

Ichigo's eyes grew wide in surprise.

So did Rukia's.

"So I really am the reason why you left."

"Ichigo..."

"You could have just said so, you know."

"It's not..."

"I guess I'll be on my way."

"I didn't mean..."

"It's no reason to sever ties with everyone, though. It's not fair to any of them since it's not..."

"You don't understand!"

"Then make me understand."

He wasn't angry, she could tell, but it seemed like he wanted to be.

"Tell me the truth."

He deserved to know.

It was the least she could do, after all that they've been through.

After all that he did for her.

But could she tell him?

Would she dare tell him?

Rukia looked away, completely conflicted within.

She knew how stubborn he could get. If she didn't give him a reason, a _valid, honest_ reason, he will never let her be.

BUT...

... she also knew that if she did just that, she would not only be unable to face him again, she would also not like the outcome.

She'd most likely just embarrass herself.

Then again, her brother would probably chastise her for not facing the "problem" head-on.

He had been patient with her; especially after her reluctant, full confession.

She cried openly that night, pouring her heart to the man who at one point in her life did not even spare her a glance despite living under the same roof, and officially sharing a name by adoption.

Byakuya Kuchiki let her tears fall. He let her cling to him as she sobbed. He even held her; one of the rare times he had shown any form of affection. He had spoken a few words of wisdom. He told her that her choice may not have been the best, but he respected it. He also said that he was not the only one who needed to hear her words; that he was not the only 'brother' she should share her burden with.

So Renji Abari also knew.

He was not as calm about it as Byakuya was, but the end-result was the same: concern and understanding.

She loved both men dearly and it was thanks to them that she managed to keep herself in check.

They will be the same ones who are sure to keep her sane when this is over.

Rukia finally returned her attention back to the man who stood before her; waiting for her to say something.

His eyes, intense and full of emotions as they had always been, stared her down.

She took one, deep breath.

"The truth is, the reason why I left, is because I..."

She looked away again, fearing to see his reaction.

"... love you."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Almost there! Can't believe I finally got that out of Rukia. I realize that it's going to be an out-of-character moment for our favorite duo, since I don't have canon to base this from (Mr. Kubo, PLEASE LET THEM BE TOGETHER), so bear with me as I rely on wishful thinking and my hyper-active imagination to make it happen between them…


	4. Chapter 4

It might have been the wind that's playing tricks on his ears.

It might have been the altitude - they are pretty high up - that's causing him to imagine things.

Or it might have been something in his mind that gave-in after lack of sleep and over-thinking for weeks.

Because there was absolutely no way in hell that the usually violent, permanently mini Shinigami said that she loved him.

It was like a scene from the kind of manga that Rukia herself liked to read.

A confession.

A weird, awkward kind of quiet in the background.

A breeze blows through their clothes and rustles their hair.

It. Did. Not. Make. Any. Sense. At. All!

The cheesy manga scenario.

And what she said.

He heard both his Zanpaku-to spirits laugh at his predicament.

"I couldn't stop myself from loving you."

Focus back to reality.

She dared to look at him; wondering how he would receive her heart-felt declaration.

"The longer I stayed, the less control I had over my feelings. I couldn't stay. To leave everyone, your world, was the choice I made so that I wouldn't be reminded of you."

Ichigo was staring at her...

... and appearing more annoyed than he was earlier.

"THAT IS THE LAMEST EXCUSE THAT I HAVE EVER HEARD!"

Huh?!

"YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN ON MY CASE ABOUT NOT ALLOWING MY EMOTIONS TO GET THE BEST OF ME BUT YOU'RE NOT FOLLOWING YOUR OWN ADVICE! YOU'RE RUNNING AWAY WITHOUT EVEN TALKING TO ME!"

A frustrated sigh escaped his lips.

"Besides, Rukia, there's something that I don't get."

She regarded him carefully, not sure what to expect.

"In what realm is 'I love you' the same as 'Good-bye?'"

Why was he being so difficult?

"You really don't understand, do you? I can't love you!"

His lips curved into that trademark cocky smirk of his.

"You love me but you can't love me? That doesn't explain anything at all."

Damn him and his ruggedly handsome features.

"Wh, what a, are yo-you -?!" she stammered as she watched him move towards her. She had taken steps backward and found herself between the stand's hard frame and Ichigo's broad chest.

She considered slipping and falling to her death but he must've read her mind because she was soon trapped when his hands shot forward and rested flat on the wood behind her; his arms blocked both her sides now.

 _"_ Yell at me all you want later _."_ Ichigo said, his demeanor becoming serious. "Listen to what I have to say first."

She gave a half-nod feeling heat on her cheeks at his proximity.

"I never told you why I desperately wanted to save you that time, did I?"

She shook her head, not being able to find her voice.

"You changed my world, Rukia. You stopped the rain, the sadness, inside me and I owed you for that."

He owed her.

How... depressing.

She bit her lower lip when she felt the tightening of her throat and the sting in her eyes. She will not humiliate herself. She will not let him see how pained she was.

"Then I lost my powers and in those seventeen months that I did not see you I missed you so much it hurt."

Her eyes widened in anticipation.

"So I thought to tell you after our reunion, but, I wasn't sure if I should. So, I kept myself busy. Then Yhwach and the war happened. As things were starting to go back to normal, you left and I didn't know what to do with myself. This time, I'm not letting the chance slip by. I need you to know that…"

One of his hands reached out to push back the tuft of hair that was always on her face.

"... I love you."

Her expression was priceless.

"IDIOT! YOU CAN'T LOVE ME!"

Okay… where did that come from?

"You need to live out your life as ordinary, as human, as possible. You can't do that with me around. You and your friends should have never been involved in Soul Society's affairs. It's my fault that -"

"SHUT UP! FROM HERE ON IN, I'M IGNORING ALL YOUR OPINIONS! AGAIN!"

She glared at him.

"DID YOU JUST TELL ME TO SHUT UP?!"

"Yes, because you talk too much."

He pulled her into an embrace and whispered in her ear, "Don't argue with me on this. It's you and me. No matter what you think or say, that's not going to change."

Her expression softened at his words, finally allowing herself to relax and melt in his hold.

"You're a stubborn fool."

Ichigo smiled while he held her closer to him.

"Back at you."

Rukia smiled, too, returned his hug, closed her eyes and relished the moment.

Suddenly, she felt him tense up and she pulled slightly away from him wondering what was wrong; trying to decipher the look on his face.

Then, she heard it, too.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I love mush as much as the next fan-girl but it's hard to imagine the two of them being all immediately lovey-dovey. A little (okay, a lot of) shouting and dare I say, comedy, was necessary, given their personalities (and the source genre: manga/anime is notorious with these kinds of things). Yes, I borrowed a line, or two, from Mr. Kubo's work; it made sense to add them in (Thank you, Sir!). Again, this could have ended here, but, I'd like some other characters to make an appearance. Just think of this bit as the anti-climax. The End will follow as soon as I'm done tweaking it. Thanks for putting up with my writing quirks!


	5. Chapter 5

Ichigo could feel his eye twitching again.

"You've been waiting for this to happen." he echoed back to his father.

Isshin Kurosaki nodded vigorously; so much it seemed as if his head could fall off.

"And you thought that it was a good idea to bring," he waved his hand in the general direction of the crowd - made up of Uryu, Chad, Keigo, Mizuiro, Yoruichi, Kukaku, Ganju, most Captains, all Lieutenants and a few seated officers from the Gotei Thirteen - "everyone along with you?"

"Well, not everyone." Kisuke Urahara replied from behind his fan. "Just those who wanted to come."

"Byakuya let us know where you were so here we are!" the former Captain of the Tenth declared, as if it was expected for them, ALL OF THEM, to be there.

The Captain of Division Six said nothing while his Fukutaicho stood, grinning like an idiot, beside him.

He turned his head to look at Rukia who blushed furiously in the company of Tatsuki, Orihime and his sisters.

The Shinigami Daiko sighed.

Why they decided to descend from the top of the execution stand to see what the ruckus was about is beyond him.

They should have just ran away; headed for the other direction.

But, since they're there now...

"Why is Ichigo's spiritual pressure rising?!"

... he wasn't going to let them (especially his dad, who he knew was most likely the mastermind behind this)...

"Ichigo, son, wh-what are you doing?!"

... get away with...

"I think Ichigo's mad!"

...embarrassing Rukia...

"Ichigo's drawn both his swords!"

... and ruining that special moment between them.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Rukia instinctively moved the twins behind her while Tatsuki laughed at the situation. Orihime summoned her Santen Kesshun to shelter those who really had no business (or capability) to be at the receiving end of Ichigo's attacks.

Byakuya Kuchiki gracefully separated himself from the skirmish and called for his sister.

After a quick good-bye to her human friends and a promise to return to the World of the Living soon, she went to him.

"Yes, brother?"

"Are you certain about accepting Ichigo Kurosaki as a suitor?"

And she thought her face couldn't possibly get any redder.

"Yes, brother."

"Very well."

The Head of the Kuchiki Clan returned his attention to the on-going chaos.

Without raising his voice, and retaining his ever stoic demeanor, he said, seemingly to no one in particular: "We shall meet at our family manor in three days."

There was a temporary stillness as the Heads of both the Kurosaki and Shiba households replied, almost simultaneously, "See you in three days."

He glanced over to his lieutenant who had his face flat on the ground. "Renji, come, we have preparations to attend to."

The red-head abruptly stood; brushing off whatever dirt he had on himself. "Hai, Taicho."

When Renji Abari became an official - "unofficial" member of the noble clan was vague, but he was honored to be included, nonetheless.

He gave his childhood friend a smile, genuinely happy for her, despite the annoying, slightly painful tug at his heart.

But when Rukia returned his smile with her own, her face radiant, he knew that he was going to be okay with what was to come.

He gave her a playful nudge before the unlikely trio started walking away.

"RUKIA!"

She stopped, surprised when Ichigo flash-stepped towards her...

... appeared by her side...

... then kissed her on the cheek.

Renji looked at his superior.

"Is he allowed to do that?"

Byakuya said nothing and resumed walking while the onlookers cheered.

Rukia stammered a quiet farewell before catching up with Renji and gripping his arm for support. Her friend chuckled but said nothing else as they followed Byakuya down the hill.

Ichigo smiled despite the blood rising to his cheeks; proud of what he had done.

"Woohoo! Way to go, Ichigo!"

Vein pop.

Oh yeah, he almost forgot about them.

With a renewed grip on Zangetsu, he charged.

He really had no intention of hurting them... much.

This should teach them to mind their own business.

Unlikely, knowing his family, his friends and Shinigami comrades, but, worth the shot anyway.

 **\- THE END -**

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Whew! I had to reign this in a bit because it was starting to become longer than all four chapters combined. So if the scene feels rushed, it kind of is, but mostly because I took out a lot of speaking lines. I just wanted to keep the idea that there was a curious mob at the bottom of the stand who saw (most likely heard) the whole exchange between Ichigo and Rukia then got their asses kicked by Ichigo for being nosy. Byakuya (reluctantly) opens his home to Isshin and the Shibas to discuss arrangements for the two during their courtship and again, Renji does not get left out. And, to make up for all the shouting I put IR through, I let them have one kiss.

Again, thank you for taking interest in this story! I hope to be able to add more to my other one, "Snippets," *coughshamelessplugcough* now that this is done (I have a few more ideas floating in my head). Know that I very much appreciate the likes, follows and reviews/comments. 'Til the next inspiration!

PS. "I Love You, Goodbye" is a song made popular by Celine Dion and written by Diane Warren. Bleach is by Tite Kubo and we all wish that he would make "IchiRuki" canon.


End file.
